"A proposal before the Pennsylvania legislature that would remove court oversight in some instances when municipal officials try to sell little-used public lands is belatedly getting well-deserved scrutiny from parks and conservation groups.

The Philadelphia Parks Alliance, representing hundreds of members, warns that the bill it's dubbed "cash for parks" would "make it easier for cash-strapped local governments to sell off land" that communities and park-friends groups worked hard to preserve and maintain.

...There's good reason to be concerned any time court oversight is removed from a government initiative, particularly when it involves selling municipal assets. That's why current state law provides what the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association describes as "long-standing rules that ensure government cannot sell parks and other green spaces if the lands provide a public benefit."